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Fazir Khan esture of impatience "That is as God may direct it," he said "Who are ye but a people of yesterday, while the Bada-Mawidi is as old as the rocks The English were here before you, and we before the English It is right that youth should reverence age"

"That is one proverb," said the man, "but there are others, and in especial one to the effect that the man without a sword should bow before his brother who has one In this game we are the people with the sword, ed his shoulders His er'sin the dark," he said at length "Ye speak of this attack and the aid you expect from us, but we have heard this talk before One of your people came doith some followers inhas yet happened"

"Since your father's tilish were very much on the watch, now they sleep Then there were no roads, or very bad ones, and before an army could reach the plains the whole e, they have made roads up to the very foot of yon h Kohistan waiting to carry us into the heart of the Punjab They seek out inventions for others to enjoy, as the Koran says, and in this case we are to be the enjoyers"

"But what if ye fail?" said the chief "Ye will be penned up in that Hunza valley like sheep, and I, Fazir Khan, shall be unable to unlock the door of that sheepfold"

"We shall not fail This is no war of rock-pigeons, e fro the rest, are rising in our favour There is nothing to stop us but isolated garrisons of Gurkhas and Pathans, with a few overworked English officers at their head In a e shall command the north of India, and if we hold the north, in another e shall hold Calcutta and Bombay"

The chief nodded his head Such far-off schemes pleased his fancy, but only remotely touched his interest Calcutta was beyond his ken, but he knew Bardur and Gilgit